Saturday, February 21, 2009

Kane Waselenchuk will have his chance to win a second tournament in a row on Sunday as he beat top seed Rocky Carson in the semi-finals of the Seattle Open on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), 11-5, 11-2, 11-1. The victory margin is similar to Waselenchuk's victory over Carson in the US Open final last year when Waselenchuk also gave up only 8 points to Carson, the IRT's #1 player.

Jack Huczek, IRT #2, will face Waselenchuk in the final, as he defeated Alvaro Beltran in the other semi-final match, 15-13, 11-2, 11-1.

While Huczek's record against Waselenchuk this season is better than Carson's, he hasn't beaten Waselenchuk this year. In their most recent meeting, Waselenchuk defeated Huczek, 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 in the final of the New York City Pro-Am last month.

Waselenchuk is trying to regain the #1 ranking that he had for three seasons prior to being suspended from the IRT for two years due to a positive drug test at the Canadian National Championships in May 2006. In his first season back on tour, Waselenchuk has won five tournaments, losing only once in six events. However, he also skipped two Tier 1 events.

Thus, he's on track to regain the #1 position by season's end. A victory on Sunday in Seattle would be another step towards that goal.